Letter of Apology
by krizzlybear
Summary: Oneshot. Alcohol is Shino's muse, as he tries to write the best apology letter to a girl he's quite torn about. Will he be forgiven? Ino/Shino


Howdy everyone! I wrote this one in about an hour and a bit, since the idea completely dawned on me, and I just had to write it. I'm having horrid writer's block with my other project, _Symbiosis_, and I've also been busy with university life as well. Hope you InoShino fans enjoy this one.

Disclaimer – I do not own the Naruto franchise, nor do I own any of its characters and/or plot

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Shino sat down with a warm bottle of freshly brewed Godaime's Choice sake. It was a peculiar brand, founded and recommended by the great Tsunade herself, and was the most appropriate beverage the hooded boy could conjure. He grasped a simple calligraphy brush in his hand, and began to wave it back and forth randomly over the empty scroll. He had spent the past hour methodically selecting the right words to write a letter to a certain someone. After repeated instances of self-debate over the appropriateness and formality of all the different types of introductory sentences, the clock behind him chimed again, reminding him that he had accomplished nothing.

Sever of the Kikai inside him grew restless at his inherent pacing and uncomfortable fluctuations in both heart rate and temperature, and began to swarm around his house in search for more stable environments. It wasn't the first time that they were placed under stressful conditions, but due to Shino not having gone on a real mission in several months, it was difficult for the bugs to readjust to intense situations. Shino, in reality, denied himself the leniency of relaxing in between missions, and began to obsess over his need to resolve this particular issue regarding one of the partners he had worked with in a previous mission.

Although he had extensive experience working with both Hinata and Kurenai of Team Eight, the scope of interaction with other females was very limited in Shino's regular routine. Coupled with the fact that both women were interested in other men, Shino was not familiar with interacting with girls who had romantic potential. It was with Ino Yamanaka, then, who Shino first felt that "spark" of relationship possibilities.

Unlike other people, who have had a genuine interest in Shino due to his stoic appearance and mysterious ninjutsu, Ino Yamanaka absolutely loathed insects. They were the bane of her existence. A flower-lover by nature, she was absolutely adamant in her store policy to use pesticides and traps to prevent the destructive nature of the numerous herbivorous species native to Konoha. It wasn't an economic concern, but Ino's equally headstrong obsession with beauty and aesthetics made sure that no disgusting little critter would get their horrid mandibles on the wonderful petals and leaves of her shop.

As such, it was fate that Shino's un-shinobi-like mission with Ino would involve bugs and flowers. Tsunade had become fed up with complaints from villagers regarding the sudden infestation of a species of leafhoppers that had lost its way while trying to migrate away from the rainy seasons of Ocean Country. Sick of Ino's incessant complaining in particular, Tsunade forced her to work with Shino to not only shut her up, but to teach her to deal with her problems herself, regardless of how widespread it was.

As he took a sip of his drink, Shino only had to think back a few weeks to when he had finally finished his "mission" with Ino. Unfortunately, they did not leave on the most civilized of terms. He recalled an instance where he had told Ino off for not only the same reasons as Tusnade, but also for displaying blatant ignorance towards insects in general. It was natural that Ino's outward disdain for bugs in general did not resonate well with Shino's passion for entomology. It was an insult to him, but somehow, he felt he was at fault for reacting too harshly at Ino.

_I was too hard on her. I know she didn't really mean it._

Shino's thoughts betrayed him, for he was torn that he was clearly, yet indirectly, insulted by the blonde ninja, yet wanted to forgive her due to her other endearing and uniquely genuine qualities. So he went back to his parchment, trying to conjure the right words to express his thoughts regarding the matter. Given the awkward writer's block he was experiencing, he desperately wished his best friend Kiba would be at his side to smirk about how he was being a complete pansy despite having such a cool, stoic exterior that _most_ girls loved.

'_You don't need to write a dumb letter'_ is what Kiba would have said had he been awake at quarter-to-midnight, and at Shino's house at the time. There was nothing the bug-boy could do except continue his writer's block. He was running out of time however, as he had resolved himself to visit Ino before she closed down her shop. It was a reasonable distance away, which meant that he only had a few more minutes to write down what he needed before running to the store as fast as he humanly could. The stress of the newly realized time restraint only distraught more of his bugs, and a few minutes later, the inside of his body was deserted of his symbiotic kin.

He was really flirting with tardiness at this point, and he could only muster a couple of sentences. Yet he felt that they were hardly reflective of his personality, and were probably influenced by the contents of his sake, which had been consumed entirely in a surprisingly short time. He wasn't the most tolerant drinker, but the bottle was portioned to serve four, and that was enough for Shino to immediately lose basic hand-eye coordination. Unfortunately, it also made Shino lose sight of the time once again. He did not hear the clock chime twelve due to his intense focus on the jumbled mess of a letter. On a scroll. What teenage ninja wrote love letters on a scroll?

It was too late for him to do anything to save his attempt at written apology, so he grabbed everything he could and placed them haphazardly into his bag. He stumbled up from his chair and bolted out of his house as fast as possible. He tripped along the way, but paid no heed to any passerby who had the unfortunate experience of watching his inebriated sprint. He wasn't a graceful runner to begin with, so his influence only made him worse. He didn't even have the right state of mind to tell him that was about to apologize drunk in front of a girl by whom he was both intrigued and disdained.

By then it was too late. He was at the door of the Yamanaka Flower shop, and had his eyes dead set on the apron-clad blonde, doing last-minute chores around the cashier's desk. A few moments later, his eyes met hers, which was a rare occurrence, for Shino had forgotten to bring his shades with him due to the effects of his consumed drinks. 

Ino was surprised at the sight, but still remembered the unfortunate falling out at the end of her previous mission with the person in front of her. "What are you doing here?" She asked with a slight snarl in her voice, rag in hand.

Then it finally dawned on Shino that he was buzzed beyond personal reproach, and couldn't think of what to do. He appeared at his worst state, awkward, and imbalanced, and completely frozen up at the prospect of apologizing to a girl who he had quickly concluded that he was interested in romantically. He let out a few stutters, but didn't say a word afterwards. His let out a bit of a blush, which could be barely seen from the distance of the cashier's desk where Ino was to the store entrance where Shino was. Ino then looked quizzically back at him.

He paid heed to his ninja instincts, which was to run at the first signs of defeat. Although this habit was naturally inclined towards physical combat, it was the most familiar sensation that arose from within him at the time. He turned around quickly and ran away from the flower shop as fast as he could. He stormed down the street, stamping his feet loudly due to his distorted running form, and twisted his ankle on a stray pebble that lay on the ground in front of him. He collapsed onto the dirt, face up into the sky. He saw the stars above him, and was in awe. He momentarily felt himself spiritually launched into the depths of space, away from all the troubles that had plagued him. Upon remembering the situation that he had tried to escape from, he crashed back down to Earth, and winced in the pain of his newly swollen ankle.

It was moments later when Ino appeared in front of him, looking down at him from a standing up position. She crossed her arms, and looked at him with pity.

"Gee, for a brooding Sasuke-type, you sure are a clumsy drunk." She said.

She was somewhat calmer now, and was acting in a more reasonable way towards Shino, almost mother-like, as she helped bring Shino up to his feet. She placed his arm around her neck for support, as she began to help him walk to a nearby bench. Shino could see her face up close in the moonlight, and noticed that the slight warmth emanating from her face as his arm draped around her. They sat down. She handed him a scroll.

"You dropped your scroll in my store as you ran off." She said. "I read it, and I accept your apology. We should talk about this again tomorrow, when you're not drunk."

Ino gave a hearty laugh, stood up, and walked away, still wearing the apron and holding the rag she had with her back at the shop. She disappeared into the darkness shortly after.

Shino gave a sigh of relief. It was a horrible night, and as he let his ankle heal, he began to sober up as well. He vowed never to drink again. He took a look at his beat-up scroll.

_Dear Ino,_

_I'm sorry I yelled at you. You're actually a stand-up gal. I don't want you to be mad at me. Cuz like, I like you, you know? hahaha!  
_

_Shino_

Shino laughed to himself. "Next time, I guess I'll use a telephone."


End file.
